Mehar killer meets bloody end
MEHAR BHARGAVA, wife of UP Congress leader Luv Bhargava, who was shot dead for objecting to eve-teasing, finally got justice early Saturday morning. Her killer Sachin Pahadi, who had topped the most wanted list of the Special Task Force (STF) and the Lucknow police, was gunned down along with his associate Vikas Kannaujia in an encounter on Sitapur Road in Lucknow.
MEHAR BHARGAVA, wife of UP Congress leader Luv Bhargava, who was shot dead for objecting to eve-teasing, finally got justice early Saturday morning.
Her killer Sachin Pahadi, who had topped the most wanted list of the Special Task Force (STF) and the Lucknow police, was gunned down along with his associate Vikas Kannaujia in an encounter on Sitapur Road in Lucknow.
Pahadi was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 after Mehar’s murder. The STF and Lucknow police conducted the operation.
SSP, Lucknow, Ashutosh Pandey, who led the operation, said they were tipped-off about the movement of Pahadi on Sitapur Road. They laid a trap and spotted two youths riding a motorcycle. They waved at them to stop but the youths accelerated their mobike and proceeded towards IIM Road and also started firing at the cops.
The police team retaliated and following an exchange of fire for over 15 minutes, the criminal duo was killed.
ASP, STF, Vijay Bhushan said that besides Sachin Pahadi the other criminal was identified as Vikas Kannaujia of Sainik Nagar, Krishnanagar, Lucknow. Sachin, too, used to stay in the same locality before he shot Mehar.
A .32 bore pistol and a .303 bore country-made firearm were recovered from their possession.
Pandey said Kannaujia was a hardcore criminal and was earlier arrested from Mahanagar after he had kidnapped a leading Kanpur businessman Rajesh Kedia a year ago. The kidnapping had taken place in Ajgain area of Unnao district. Four of the accused in the kidnapping case had already been killed in police encounters.
Pahadi left the police puzzled after he shot at Mehar when she had resisted lewd remarks made at her daughter-in-law Kavita in Lucknow on February 28. Mehar died on March 25 at Apollo Hospital, Delhi.
Mehar had suffered bullet injury on her neck, leaving her paralysed. The Lucknow police had till then not taken cognizance of the incident even though the accused were named in the case. The incident had taken place when Mehar was waiting for Kavita in her vehicle before leaving Dilip Pur Tower building in Hazratganj. Two youths had passed obscene remarks at Kavita.
As Kavita engaged in a verbal duel with the ruffians objecting to the act, Mehar, too, walked to the scene.
As she threatened the drunken youths with getting them thrown behind bars and asked her driver to call the police, one of the youths (later identified as Sachin) whipped out a pistol and shot at her. The bullet perforated her neck and she was then rushed to the KGMU even as the assailants fled from the scene.
A critically injured Mehar was shifted to the SGPGI and later taken to the Delhi hospital the next day.
Following pressure from an influential don-turned-MLA the cops then did not initiate any efforts to probe the case, providing ample time to the assailants to shift to a hideout.
In an attempt to shift focus from the main accused, the cops arrested two other youths and sent them to jail even though the duo was not present at the crime scene.
After the death of Mehar the cops swung into action and attached the property of Sachin at his native place at Thal area of Pithauragarh in Uttaranchal.
